Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has acquired the social networking service (SNS) X (formerly Twitter), which is testing community features focused on adult content.
Bloomberg reported on the 29th, citing a screenshot discovered by Daniel Butech, an analyst at Watchful who tracks app development tests. According to the screenshot, users who create communities within the X app can designate their group in the settings as 'containing adult sensitive content.' In this case, the group is labeled as 'Adult Content.' If a community lacks this label, its content is filtered or removed.
The report stated that these communities can operate privately and are expected to require age verification for groups providing adult content. Currently, X's policy restricts 'explicit media, adult nudity, and sexual acts' for 'users under 18 or those who do not include their birthdate in their profile.'
Jung Dong-wook, X's Chief Software Engineer, explained the purpose of the new label as "to create a safer community for everyone," adding that only users who specify their age can search for communities containing such inappropriate posts (Not Safe For Work·NSFW).
This move to publicly offer NSFW groups including adult content is analyzed as a strategy to differentiate X from other SNS platforms. Adult content existed on the former Twitter even before Musk's acquisition, and executives at the time reportedly considered building a subscription service similar to OnlyFans (a platform supporting creators to charge monthly fees for their content) for adult content creators. Earlier, IT media outlet The Verge reported that Twitter scrapped the project after determining it was not prepared to crack down on harmful adult content, including child pornography.
Moreover, CEO Musk has publicly expressed the belief that X should handle all content that is not illegal. X allows posts on topics such as sexual acts if users label the content as sensitive. However, posting adult content in live videos or profile images is prohibited. Additionally, promoting such topics as part of advertisements also violates regulations.
The report noted, "It is uncertain when this test will be made available to more users, and there is a possibility it may be discontinued."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
